TMC NEWS

TMCNET eNEWSLETTER SIGNUP

Pandora Partners With National Nonprofit Little Kids Rock to Expand Music Education Programs in Oakland Unified School District

[October 12, 2017]

Pandora Partners With National Nonprofit Little Kids Rock to Expand Music Education Programs in Oakland Unified School District

On Friday, October 13, Little Kids Rock and Pandora (News - Alert) will celebrate the
launch of twenty additional "Modern Band" music programs in the Oakland
Unified School District (OUSD). Little Kids Rock currently supports
eighteen OUSD teachers' "Modern Band" music programs. Thanks to a
generous donation from Pandora, teachers from twenty additional
Oakland-area schools will be able to participate in an eight-hour
professional development workshop at Westlake Middle Schooland
receive music education instruction from Little Kids Rock, the nation's
leader in culturally-responsive, inclusive music education. More than
2,000 Oakland students will benefit from this donation, and
participating schools will receive hundreds of brand new musical
instruments.

"Music education is a vital component of any child's learning
experience," said Roger Lynch, president and CEO of Pandora. "We're
proud to partner with Little Kids Rock and Oakland Unified to ensure
every child in Oakland has access to music education and instruments,
and to help foster the next generation of musicians and fans."

Countless studies show that kids who have access to music education in
schools do better academically and socially. Little Kids Rock empowers
educators to teach kids to play the music that is culturally relevant to
them, whether that's Rock or Hip Hop, Country, Rap or R&B and it focuses
on improvisation, composition, and getting kids to make music
immediately. The program, which is part of a burgeoning national
movement to put students at the center of their learning experience and
keep arts and music programs thriving, complements existing music
offerings such as jazz band, choral ensembles, marching band, and
orchestra. Kids become proficient while playing the music that inspires
them and participation in "Modern Band" increases their engagement with
school and learning, while fostering critical 21st-century
skills like teamwork, creativity and communication.

"Music is an important part of our curriculum, keeping students engaged,
helping them in other classes and bringing out their creativity," said
OUSD Superintendent Kyla Johnson-Trammell. "Having 20 more schools gain
the ability to teach 'Modern Band' music will inspire even more young
people to find their inner musicians. We thank Pandora and Little Kids
Rock for their support of all Oakland students."

Little Kids Rock is nationally renowned for the unparalleled support
they give to school music teachers. At their workshops, public school
teachers learn how to teach "Modern Band" in their classrooms, learn how
to write and perform their own songs and learn how to play guitar,
keyboard, bass, ukulele and drums. In addition to the training, hundreds
of these instruments will be donated to the Oakland School District,
thanks to Pandora's generous donation. Teacher will use these
instruments to provide hands-on music lessons to over 2,000 students.

"Little Kids Rock is grateful to receive Pandora's support and
commitment to empowering young music makers," says Little Kids Rock CEO
and Founder David Wish. "It's an honor to work with Pandora, which is
reaching millions of young people nationwide with their music streaming
service. Their support is ensuring that hundreds more students in the
Oakland area will have access to the life-long gift of music education."

ABOUT LITTLE KIDS ROCK

Little Kids Rock is a national nonprofit dedicated to transforming lives
by restoring, expanding, and innovating music education in our schools.
As the leader in culturally-responsive, inclusive music education, the
organization partners with public school districts to build music
programs as diverse as the kids being served. Little Kids Rock trains
teachers to run its innovative "Modern Band" curriculum, and donates
accompanying instruments and resources as necessary to teach popular
music in a way that empowers students to experience instant achievement.
What began as a single after-school guitar class has since exploded into
a national movement that brings free, weekly music lessons to over
320,000 public school children annually through the efforts of more than
2,000 teachers in 200 school districts nationwide. More info at www.littlekidsrock.org.

ABOUT PANDORA

Pandora is the world's most powerful music discovery platform - a place
where artists find their fans and listeners find music they love. We are
driven by a single purpose: unleashing the infinite power of music by
connecting artists and fans, whether through earbuds, car speakers, live
on stage or anywhere fans want to experience it. Our team of highly
trained musicologists analyze hundreds of attributes for each recording
which powers our proprietary Music Genome Project®, delivering billions
of hours of personalized music tailored to the tastes of each music
listener, full of discovery, making artist/fan connections at
unprecedented scale. Founded by musicians, Pandora empowers artists with
valuable data and tools to help grow their careers and connect with
their fans.

Pandora Gives is Pandora's charitable arm that focuses on supporting the
communities in which we operate through employee volunteerism and
strategic partnerships with local and national nonprofit organizations.
Pandora's current focus areas are music education, music enrichment and
closing the opportunity gap.

ABOUT OAKLAND UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT

In California's most diverse city, Oakland Unified School District
(OUSD) is dedicated to creating a learning environment where "Every
Student Thrives!" More than half of our students speak a non-English
language at home. And each of our 86 schools is staffed with talented
individuals uniting around a common set of values: Students First,
Equity, Excellence, Integrity, Cultural Responsiveness and Joy. We are
committed to preparing all students for college, career and community
success.

To learn more about OUSD's Full Service Community District focused on
academic achievement while serving the whole child in safe schools,
please visit OUSD.org
and follow us @OUSDnews.